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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Resolutions are a little tricky as they are always hard to keep. But writing them down helps I know so...here it goes (p.s. there's a few a didn't get to from last year).

1. Make a Quilt (from last year - didn't happen)

2. Exercise More(I think this will be on the list indefinitely - I did do well this year taking yoga classes consistently, etc - but could always improve)

3. Apply Work for Awards (didn't do but should - it is a time and funding issue)4. Go to More Conferences/Workshops/Classes (always want to work on continually sharpening my skills and learning more though it has the same issues as above - time and funding)5. Get Curtains Up on All Windows in the House - It has only been 3 years since we moved in - surely we can get windows covering up beyond the temporary blinds that have been up forever.

6. Play More Scrabble!

7. Paint A Wall in the House - Same with the curtains, just haven't gotten it done - ever. Kinda afraid that if I start I will get addicted and won't stop! :)

8. Call People More - Talk to Those I Love, Etc.

9. Register for the domain name I want.

10. Craft more! I always love making things - I should do more of what I love!

Monday, December 28, 2009

I've only been home mucking around the house for two days and I'm already making more messes than I am actually cleaning anything up. It all starts out well, I started with the kitchen cleaning up dishes and arranging my glass jars, transferring sugar and flour. Then I notice the pantry and organize it. Then I spy the overflowing tupperware cabinet as I put away dishes and so I sit and clean it out throwing away broken containers, etc. A nearby cabinet is next - adding never used casserole dishes without lids to the Goodwill pile along with my old pots and pans. Then I hit the kitchen table, cleaning off bills and Christmas list and THAT is when it get the green-thumb itch. I notice that my indoor plants all set up in near the window by the table need a little TLC.

So I start off with repotting two plants we had purchased at Lowes in their 75% off bin into roomier pots we found awhile back during one of our neighborhood heavy trash days - they even came complete with dirt! So, two plants repotted in the middle of the kitchen floor - mess #1.

But by then my hands had already felt the thrill of being back in soil - so of course I move on to my other potted plants - I see my pineapple plants and get suspicious of the "babies" I thought were growing in the pot all summer. So I take a spoon - yup a SPOON - goodness knows I can't find where I stored any of my hand trowels in the garage so a spoon will do. I start digging around the little plants that are overtaking my pineapple plants and guess what I found?? The tuberous roots of a spider plant! All those babies were in fact baby plants and not weeds, but they weren't off shoots from the pineapple plant. So I proceeded to dig out all the invading spider plants with my spoon till I have an even bigger mess of dirt. (mess #2)

Of course I cannot just leave the little invasive plants to die (mess #3), they were crafty enough to grow by seed all this time - and they were so healthy! We keep all our potted plants inside for the winter, and the pineapple pots sit under the spider plants and those crazy plants are always spitting out seeds - I swear I am cutting off shoots and sweeping up little black seeds every month - just never expected any of them to actually grow! Wow!

Anywho, I gather up cups to transplant the little plants - having that done I look at the two huge spider plants I already have - and of course they are in need of a trim with tons and tons of shoots of baby plants. I trim them up all up and save the best looking babies for even more cups.

I now have 9 cups of baby spider plants in my house (and all my messes cleaned up)! 4 of whom will find good homes with unsuspecting friends here in the next couple of days - but 5 of whom need badly to be adopted! So if any of my nearby blogger pals would like a baby spider plant let me know! They will do fine in the cup I have them in until probably spring time - then they'll need transplanted into a bigger pot.

Any willing plant parents out there looking for a new addition? Spider plants do grow into lovely lush plants! Leave a comment and me know!!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Had a very lovely Christmas over the last few days (Christmas Eve and Christmas day) - got to spend lots of time with our families, ate lots of good food and even was able to sit down and play a game of Scrabble with my cousin, his girlfriend and my Dad. It is always so fun to watch everyone open their presents and to laugh and joke well into the evening with people you love!

Uber excited about the nifty things I got for Christmas! My hubby got me a Bella Cucina Rotating Belgian Waffle maker - yum! And a set of Non-stick Hard Anodized pots and pans! He spoils me rotten! He also gifted me with lovely yarn, lots of Victoria Secret lip gloss (my favorite! pretty sure I have ALL the flavors now!), Bath & Body Works, fuzzy socks, new pajamas, a spool holder and a ceramic travel mug (we got each other one without knowing it!).

So we spent Christmas Eve morning nomming down waffles and packing up clothes and presents to travel up to our parents'. It was the perfect way to lead up to the hustle and bustle of going home.

Since we've been back home (came back the 26th) I've been organizing my kitchen fitting in my lovely new glass jars (thank you Mom & Sue!) and switching out my old pots and pans with my new set. I love big glass apothecary jars to store flour, sugar, coffee etc in and the big 2 gallon ones are great for serving drinks at parties (and now I have 3! 4 if you include the one I have upstairs full of our seashell collection)! I always whip a big batch of lemonade or tea for any shindig we have going on at our house - so the jars will definitely come in handy!

My family also got me more fuzzy socks (heaven!), more Bath & Body Works and other soaps and lotions (can never have enough!), a lovely sweater, candles, scarves and gloves (yay!!), amazing Starbucks coffee travel thermos for each Matt and I, a Starbucks gift card, gift cards to Rock Bottom Brewery, lots of yummy cookies and treats, a cookbook, a lovely table set complete with candle sticks and napkins, a sifter, and a senior picture of my brother.

Enough about my loot! I want to hear about yours? What fun things did you get or do for Christmas?

Monday, December 21, 2009

My hubby spoils me rotten! We were out browsing around the antique shops in Mooresville a few weekends ago for their Victorian Christmas and came across a whole set of gorgeous lotus bowls - exactly like the little $0.49 find I came home with from Goodwill a few days prior!

Being the great guy he is - he proclaimed them an early Christmas present and snatched them up off the shelf! :)!

I had seen a color set of lotus bowls at our usual stop before they shuttered their doors and had been meaning to buy them one day but - like most good finds - someone bought them first! I hadn't seen such lovelies since - except recently when I found the one lone bowl at Goodwill and then a few days later - this whole set which we got for around $15!

Side note: Hubby proclaims that once my vintage china cabinet/hutch is full we cannot buy another one - and I must admit, it is pretty full with my fab vintage/garage sale/goodwill finds! :)

Sunday, December 20, 2009

So happy to come across a recipe for homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate on a stick! Just look at my pretty new batter bowl chock full of little individually wrapped and ready to give away hot chocolates on a stick! There's one for the mail-lady, a few for the neighbors and some for family & friends! I'm going to have to whip up another batch after the holidays for the hubby and I to enjoy all season long!

I have to admit, I was a little intimated at first by the marshmallow recipe...but it was really very simple and they turned out fabulous! Next time I'll invest in slightly bigger treat bags because these were just a little too snug. I had a heck of a time getting them each into the bags because they kept catching on the edges, etc.

Luckily two came out kinda wonky so we already have had the chance to try them out - love how rich and creamy the chocolate is - delicious!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

This is the time of year (besides my birthday!) when I love what I find in the mailbox each day! Stuffed in with the usual bills and ads there's all these little surprises from those you love! With each card I open I get more and more in the Christmas spirit! Thanks everyone!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

In an effort to bolster up some extra warmth to battle the winter blues - we tried a new recipe! Soft Pretzels! A little yeast and flour, lots of fun trying to twist them into shape, a bubbly overflowing pot as we dipped the pretzels in water and baking soda and the warm aroma of baking bread in the oven - made for the perfect end to an evening!

DIRECTIONS:Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Monday, December 14, 2009

We kicked off our holiday happenings last weekend and traveled out to a nearby town to partake in their Victorian Christmas festivities! Nothing puts your more in the spirit that hot apple cider and a Christmas cookie!

We listened to Christmas carols being played live and lunched on a cup of hot chili!

And browsed the creativity and talent of competing gingerbread houses! This was one of ourfavorites!

And passed by people in full Victorian costume and even spied Father Christmas as we shopped in lots of tiny warm little storefronts like this one! It's starting to feel a lot of Christmas!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

My friend, Sarah L., shared this fabulous new tea with me a few weeks ago. She told me it was the best ever - and wow! I am very impressed! This tea has a great flavor - almost has a hint of coffee. Vanilla and Caramel?? Yum! Definitely a must try!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

It is funny to look back just a few years and see the little, tilty tree and the hodge podge of ornaments. Now, we have the very same tree my family put up for Christmas- ah the memories! The intention was to put the little tree upstairs - but as the days draw on it looks like that isn't going to happen! Only so much energy at the end of the day!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Matthew and I took advantage of slow, snowy day off this week to cozy up to warm cinnamon crunch bagels and steamy baked potato soup while writing out our Christmas cards at Panera this week.

Panera is on of our favorite places to frequent - it is a cozy little spot for us to pop by for lunch on the weekends. Plus the free wifi is a great incentive! A good three hours, and lots of laughter later, 90% of our cards are written, addressed and stamped! We still have a few addresses we need to locate but it feels good to get it done and to have fun while we're at it! :)

Saturday, December 5, 2009

I've got exciting new dear readers! I've been asked to join a joint blog called Homemakers Who Work where I'll get the opportunity to post on a regular schedule with a whole slue of other lovely blogger gals about all kind of lovely things pertaining to home!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Make sure you swing over to my other blog - Confession of a Design Junkie sometime this week and enter to win one of these cute hedgehog shaped Alessi Dozi Paperclip Holders!! Contest ends December 17!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

I love finding great deals!! Look what I snagged at one of our local Goodwills!! I was there to pick up a cheap paperback book for a paper wreath I want to make and about jumped out of my shoes when I saw this gorgeous little lotus bowl!!